Noonien Turqoise.

A young and handsome man who bore the name of the renown Turquoise Family. Like his in-laws, he too was a respectable scholar and imperial tutor in his own rights. Why in fact, he was on his way to continue his poetry lessons for the sons of a local military family.

The Father General hoped his boys would grow up to be experts on not only the battlefield, but in the field of literature. Warriors of Intellect, the brush mightier than the sword. To rise up to great levels to obtain a doctorates degree while diligently serving the front lines of the Empire’s battles.

To be better than their Father General, and his Father General, who were only blessed by passing the Imperial Examination for schooless fighters.

Not to mention, it was sunny weather out. A perfect day for a stroll in the city....HAH! Why walk when he has the money to buy him a palanquin ride! His wife pretty much owns her own horse wagon for travelling, why can’t he!?

So of course he took the comfort of a luxury Palanquin, carried by six men – three in the front and three in the back. The more hands and feet, the smoother the travel was, faster too! In about 45 minutes, he would be at the steps of the military family in no time!

ARF ARF! ARF ARF! ARF ARF!

Suddenly, a dog darted across the street!

It happened so fast, in such a blur, the ones carrying Noonien’s palanquin lost balance and tipped over. With a series of loud snaps and cracks, the entire palanquin just fell apart like a booth made of cheap plywood.

“AAAG!” Noonien tumbled out of his soft ride and rolled across the hard dirt. He bolted to his feet, cursing the men who was carrying him, and even kicking at their legs for the insult and damages they caused to him.

Damn! Scraped his hands! They’re bleeding, and dirty! There is no way he could present himself like this!

Perhaps the gods were merciful. There was a small walk-in clinic, about two paces where he fell. After cursing and ordering the men to fetch a new palanquin for him to ride, he decided to tend to his wound in the walk-in clinic.

He didn’t want to sit with the common folk. Who knows what sort of sickness or diseases they had. But maybe he was lucky again, the walk-in clinic had zero waiting line. At least he didn’t have to wait long.

An old man shuffled out of the backroom. The owner of the clinic, as well as the only physician. A short and stubby looking senior who could barely stand up to full height due to a hunched back. He would take a seat at his desk and tend to Noonien’s injuries. While that was getting done—

“Uncle! Are you there?” A stranger in a snow white hanbok would waltz in. “Ah! Uncle, I am so glad to see you again.”

“Oh? Dear nephew!” The physician waved while dressing Noonien’s wounds. “Why back so soon? I thought you were going to the Capital.”

“Bah! I don’t wish to speak about it! It was a pointless venture!” The Nephew grumbled as he sat down on a chair – right next to Noonien. As the store was very small, not much space, it was obvious the Nephew would bump into the rich scholar like Noonien.

The latter frowned, but since his the physician was helping to handle his injuries he couldn’t say much. The sooner this was over, the faster he could leave.

The physician asked, “What put you in such a foul mood, my nephew?”

“Fae Fae, is dead!”

Noonien twitched from the pain shooting up his arm.

He buried a hiss between his lips and he looked around the shop. Not like this conversation involved him. The sooner his wound is mended, the faster he could leave.

“To think!” The Nephew slapped a hand across the table, startling everyone, “That the illustrious Sword Fairy of the renown Celestial Dreams Brothel has been murdered! Can you believe it!? I travelled thousands of miles from my homeland of the Baek-Je Monarchy, to watch her masterpiece of a sword dance, but no. She had to go and get murdered! BAH! I wasted all my walking and money to come back empty handed! Can you believe the injustice of it all, good uncle!?”

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“Indeed!” The physician accidentally poured a bit too much antiseptic alcohol on Noonien’s wounds, earning a hiss from the rich scholar. After apologizing to Noonien, he turned to his Nephew. “Still, she is just another brothel girl. No doubt your homeland has far better beauties for the right price. What is so special about this Fae Fae?”

“Oh uncle, you would never understand! Fae Fae is a beauty amongst beauties! Just one look into her eyes, and you wish to give up the whole world for to spend a single night in her arms! She could even make paper flowers smell so real with just a touch of her hands, it would coax honeybees to come and gather pollen!”

The Nephew continue to regale, in a song like tone as if praising a divine goddess of the heavens, “An enchanting voice when she sings long forgotten melodies of the empire, or even recite over 1000 poems in a single sitting. And the way her cheeks brighten red after a sip of wine, making her light up like a diamond in the sun! A rarity amongst rarity!”

The Nephew suddenly grabbed at Noonien, making the rich scholar jump in his seat.

“You’re a local, right!?” The Nephew asked Noonien with a cheerful voice. “You understand what I am saying, yes? Fae Fae is highly sought out by the richest of the richest and the most powerful figures in and out of the Imperial Order. Surely someone as young as you have seen Fae Fae’s beauty?”

Noonien brushed the dirt and hand off his shoulder. “No, I have not.”

“Oh!? Surely you’ve heard of her legends?”

Noonien snorted. “I’ve never heard of this Fae Fae.”

The Nephew covered his mouth, “But she is super famous! Well known across the land right!? Her legends ring true even in far nations like the Taiko Shogunate and my own homeland! I mean, I travelled thousands of miles just to see her in the flesh!”

Noonien rushed the doctor to finish up treating his wounds. He only had a few minutes left to hurry to the military family for their children’s tutoring session. He strives to never be late for an appointment, and today was not the day he will ruin that record.

“A brothel girl is just a brothel girl,” the rich scholar snapped, “I don’t see what’s all the noise about a one trick pony? Now, doctor, how much for the bandages?”

The Physician finished up treating the rich scholars wounds and received payment. Without any delay, Noonien Turquoise marched out of the walk in clinic and decided to walk to his destination. He wasn’t in the mood to wait for a new palanquin.

It was only when Noonien had left around a corner, did the Nephew – Martial Kim – bow to the physician.

“Gamsahabnida. Thank you so much for playing along, good doctor.”

“Oh not a problem ‘my dear nephew’. Haha. Happy to help. Ahem.”

The Physician smiled, smug. Then held out his hands, waiting.

Martial Kim nodded and added a hefty number of silver coins to the physician’s hands. Once that was settled, he would walk out of the clinic himself and travel around the opposite corner.

Standing in the middle of a market road was a certain Martial Yellow Sister.

She was crouched down, scratching the neck of a Shiba Inu dog – made of animated cloth. It mimiced a magically produced arf arf arf arf, before Martial Yellow Sister unfolded it like a reverse origami to become a part of her sleeves.

“You know my dear,” Martial Kim chuckled, “If you ever get tired of being a waitress at Moon Tavern, you would make for a wonderful puppet master for children.”

“Hell no.” Martial Yellow Sister rolled her eyes, “They are spawns of evil, I tell you. You be surprise how much violence they like to see in Taiko Manga and scroll comics.”

She also snapped her fingers. On command, tiny pieces of fabric slithered out from the debris that was Noonien’s palanquin, shifting from hard darts to loose cloth. They sucked up into her hands to join her robes, mending the tearing and what not.

Martial Kim nodded as he proceeded to walk with his disciple into the market, “It seems our little trip to Heavenly Garden paid off, Martial Yellow Sister. Not only was Fae Fae and her fellow Flower Princesses of Celestial Dreams performing as special guests at the Hall of Pleasure—”

Martial Yellow Sister interjected, to finish the thought, “The Turquoise family were among the many guests invited by the North Cloud City Governor’s party that night. Noonien and his father-in-law was amongst them. The hostess of Heavenly Garden arranged it so Fae Fae personally serve them wine.”

“Yet everyone remembers Fae Fae, even if not personally but by reputation... All except for Mr. Noonien.” Martial Kim could not resist a shake of his head, “I’ve heard of absent minded professors, but this level of amnesia is ridiculous.”

After taking in a deep breath, the young master nodded to his disciple, “You know what to do, Martial Yellow Sister.”

“Yep. Drag Noonien around back, and cap an arrow in his ass. Got it.”

Martial Yellow Sister even made gesture of loading a crossbow with a ga-chuk noise – earning a karate chop to her head with a bonk noise.